Flolan

Flolan is used to treat high blood pressure in the lungs. It will be started in a clinical setting, but then you may be required to administer the drug to yourself through a portable infusion pump.

Flolan Overview

Updated: July 21, 2016

Flolan is a prescription medication used to pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients who have already been treated with other medicines that did not work well. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure that occurs in the main artery that carries blood from the right side of the heart (the ventricle) to the lungs. When the smaller blood vessels in the lungs become more resistant to blood flow, the right ventricle must work harder to pump enough blood through the lungs.

Flolan belongs to a group of drugs called vasodilators, which help to relax the blood vessels within and around the lungs. This helps increase your ability to breathe, especially during exercise. It also acts as an anticoagulant, which decreases the chance of a blood clot.

This medication is available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) by a healthcare professional. After starting Flolan in a clinical setting, you may be allowed to administer Flolan to yourself through a portable infusion pump. You must learn proper technique and have a backup pump available.

Common side effects include flushing, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Flolan can also cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Flolan affects you.

Flolan Precautions

Serious side effects have been reported with Flolan including the following:

Pulmonary edema. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms of pulmonary edema:

mild shortness of breath with exercise

cough

waking up feeling short of breath

having trouble lying flat in bed

Rebound pulmonary hypertension. If Flolan is suddenly stopped or the dose is reduced drastically, you may experience pulmonary hypertension. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms of rebound hypertension:

shortness of breath

dizziness

weakness or fatigue

Flolan is a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Patients who are at risk for bleeding have an increased risk of serious bleeding while taking Flolan.

Flolan can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Flolan affects you.

Do not take Flolan if you:

are allergic to Flolan or to any of its ingredients

have heart failure caused by reduced left ventricular ejection fraction

Flolan Food Interactions

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Flolan, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Flolan and Pregnancy

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X – are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Flolan falls into category B. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with Flolan. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

Flolan and Lactation

It is not known if Flolan crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Flolan.

Flolan Usage

This medication is available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) by a healthcare professional. After starting Flolan in a clinical setting, you may be allowed to administer Flolan to yourself through a portable infusion pump. You must learn proper technique and have a backup pump available.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of Flolan at the same time.

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